Pendulum drive master clock



Feb. 11, 1930. T. s. CASNER 1,747,103

PENDULUM DRIVE MASTER CLOCK Filed Feb. 14, 1927 Patented Feb. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THADDEUS S. CASNER, OF IPLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO RADIO ELECTRIC CLOCK CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE PENDULUM DRIVE IVIASTER CLOCK Application filed February 14, 1927.

The present invention relates to clocks and particularly to master clocks adapted to p erate a system of secondary clocks.

The master clock herein described is generally the same as that disclosed in my copending application Serial Number 75,633, filed December 15, 1925.

The principal aim of the present invention is to provide improved means for imparting 1r, uniformly timed and measured impulses to the pendulum of such a clock.

Other objects and certain features of novelty residing in the specific embodiment of this invention will be evident to those skilled in the art from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic frontelevation of the master clock embodying this invention; and

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in which like reference characters de note like parts throughout the several views thereof. 10 denotes a vertical standard or support which may be secured to any suitable base (not shown) in such manner that the pendulum rod 12 may swin freely in front thereof.

Any suitable suspension structure for the pendulum may be employed. That illustrated and at present preferred consists of a slotted bracket 13 secured to the face of the standard 10. A flexible spring blade 14 carrying the pendulum is disposed in the slot of the bracket and is supported by a pin 15 passed through the blade and resting upon the top surface of the bracket 13 at its ends. The blade hangs freely in the slot, having a slight clearance with the sides thereof in order that the pendulum may swing in a vertical plane without buckling of the spring blade even though the standard may not stand in a truly vertical position.

An adjusting finger 20 is pivoted to the rear of the pendulum rod at 21, and is provided with an arcuate slot 22. A set screw 23 is positioned within the slot and th eaded Serial No. 168,138.

into the pendulum to secure the finger in various adjusted positions.

The finger 20 carries at its upper free end a. push rod 25 which is pivoted thereto. A pin 26 is secured to the push rod 25 and engages the teeth of a toothed wheel 27. For use with a seconds pendulum, the wheel 27 should be provided with thirty teeth. The wheel 27 is secured to a shaft 28 which is mounted in bearings in the vertical standard 10 and in an L-shaped bracket 29 secured to the standard 10. A dog 30 is pivoted to the bracket 29 and prevents backward movement of the wheel 27. One notch 31 of the toothed wheel 27 is out especially deep so that the push rod 25 will drop down when the pin 26 engages this deep notch.

A lever 35 is pivotally mounted on a pin 36 secured to the vertical standard 10, and is constantly urged in a counter-clockwise direction by a spring 37 wound around the pin 36. The upper end of the lever 35 is mounted just below the normal path of the free end of the push rod 25, and the lower end of the lever 35 is adapted to engage an impulse wheel 38 which is secured to a shaft 39 mounted in suitable hearings in the upright 10. The wheel 38 is provided with a plurality of tooth-like projections 40 about its periphery. These projections are separated by radial slots 41. Each of the projections l0 carries on its rear face a pin 42 adapted to be caught by a lateral finger 43 formed on the lower end of the lever 35. The wheel 38 is constantly urged to rotate in a counter clockwise direction by any well known driving means through the agency of a pinion er fast on the shaft 39 and geared to a driven gear wheel 45 connected to the driving means. The outer ends of the projections 40 have cam faces -16 formed thereon for a purpose now to be described.

A pallet 47 is secured to the pendulum rod 12, and the front face of this pallet carries a pin 48 on which is mounted a roller -9. The impulse wheel 38 is so placed with respect to the roller 49 on the pallet 4-7 that the roller in the normal swing of the pendulum will enter and recede from one of the slots 4} Assuming that the pendulum 12 is already oscillating it will be seen that at each swing of the pendulum to the right the pin 26 on the push rod 25 will engage one of the notches of the toothed wheel 27 and advance the wheel one tooth space in a clockwise direction. As there are thirty teeth on the wheel 27 and the pendulum is a seconds pendulum, the wheel will make one complete revolution each minute; The shaft 28 therefore corresponds to the second-hand shaft of clocks, and if desired may constitute an element of the well known train for moving the clock hands. When the pin 26 drops into the deep notch 31 in the wheel 27, the push rod 25 will engage the upper end of the lever 35 and cause it to release the pin 4-2 on the impulse wheel which it has been holding. As there is a constant tendency forwheel 38 to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction, the upper face of the slot a1 will drop down upon the roller 49 of the pendulum which will then be below the same, as the pendulum will be nearing the completion of its swing to the right, and will ride thereon until the pendulum has moved a short distance back to the left. The cam face 46 then comes in contact with the roller 49 and imparts a push thereto to move it to the left. The finger 43 engages the next adjacent pin 42 and holds the impulse wheel until it is again moved to release the same in the manner just described. It will thus be seen that an impulse will be imparted to the pendulum once each minute which will give it a. continuous uni-' form oscillation as long as the impulse wheel 38 is urged to rotate and it will be assumed of course that suitable means will be provided for this purpose.

Means is provided for controlling the elec tric circuit to one or more secondary clocks. This means preferably comprises a rotary switch similar to that described in my application Serial No. 32,388. An arm 55 carrying an insulating block '56 and a contact 57 is secured to the shaft and rotates therewith. A contact 59 is mounted on a flat spring 60 which is secured to an insulating block 61 on the standard 10 and is adapted to cooperate with contact 59. The electrical connections to the secondary clocks are made to the spring 60 and bracket 29. The construction of the switch is described in greater detail in the application referred to above, but it will be apparent from the description herein given that the circuit to the secondary clocks will be closed once each minute.

Many changes or modifications may evidently be made in the structure above described without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I desire to be limited, therefore, only by the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a clock, in combination, a pendulum, a lateral projection carried by the pendulum, a wheel rotatable on an axis transverse to the plane of oscillation and having teeth in the plane of the wheel, the ends of which are inclined to form cam surfaces, pins project ing from the face of each of said teeth, said wheel constantly tending to rotate and normally held stationary in a position such that said lateral projection enters the space be- I tween two teeth, and means controlled by the clock and cooperating with said pins for re leasing said wheel when said projection is located in said space, whereby the side of a tooth will first engage said projection and then in the initial part of the return move ment of the pendulum the projection will ride on to the inclined cam end of the tooth and will be acted on in the direction of its movement by said cam end as the wheel moves under its impelling force. V

2. In a clock, in combination, a pendulum, a lateral projection having a roller thereon carried by said pendulum, an impulse disk rotatable on an axis transverse to the plane of oscillation of the pendulum and having teeth projecting in the plane of the disk from the periphery thereof, the ends of which areinclined to form cam surfaces, means tending to constantly rotate said disk, pins projecting from the face of each of said teeth in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of said disk, a lever engaging said pins successively so as to normally hold said disk stationary in a position such that said roller enters the space between two teeth, and means controlled by the clock for releasing said lever when the roller is located in said space.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

THADDEUS S. CASNER. 

